Wood-rim-bending machine



- (No Model.) BSheets-Sheet 1.

L. RAST ET'IER. WOOD RIMBENDING MACHINE.

N0. 565,923- 'Patented Aug. 18., 1896.

. WITIVESSES: W l/VVE/VTOB L Arron/v57.-

2 t e e h S e e h S a R N I .H RM E T T N .E .T N S AB RM M L 0 0 W A d0 M o W No. 565,923. Patented Au 18, 1896.

WITNESSES BY EM/ A TTOIiWEY.

Tn: Norms PETERS co. wotaumon WASHINGTON. a, c. I

(110 Model.) Sheets-Sheet 3.

, RASFIETTER. WOOD RIM .BENDING MACHINE.

-- No.565,92$.; Y Patented Aug.18, 1896';

' WITNESSES; Q 22mm INVENTOI? I By 11% my KLV ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATE PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS RASTETTER, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA.

WOOD-RlM-BENDING MACHINE.

PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 565,923, dated August18, 1896. I

' Application filed September 13, 1895. Serial No. 562,385. (No model.)

To all whom itmay concern.-

Be it known thatI, LoUIs RASTETTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fort Wayne, in the county of Allen and State of 7 Indiana,have invented certain new and usef ul Improvements in Wood-Rim-BendingMachines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of referonce markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in wood-rim-bending machines inwhich a revolving form operates in conjunction with an upset strap,friction-rollers, and a weighted lever; and the objects of myimprovement are, first, ;to facilitate securing the meeting or abuttingends of the bent strips; second, to aiford facilities for bending aplurality of strips simultaneously; third, to provide a form which maybe used continuously without removing it from its position on themachine. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in theaccompanying draw ings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation showingthe strips in position preparatory to being bent; Fig. 2, a plan of theforward end of the lever; Fig. 3, an end view of Fig. 2, with therollers in vertical section; Fig. 4, a plan of the frame, form, anddriving-gear; Fig. 5, a view showing the bent strips, clamp, &c., asthey appear when removed from the form; Fig, 6, an enlarged detailedview in crosssection onthe line X X of Fig. 5; Fig. 7, a side view ofthe temporary retaining-clamp; Fig. 8, a longitudinal section of theupset clamp securedto the upset strap; Fig. 9, a rear view of Fig. 8,and Fig. 10 a detailed -view showing the manner of inserting theclamping-plate.

- Similar figures of reference refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

The vertical post 1, supporting the bearings 4,1 and42, the rectangularframe 35, sup

porting the bearing 40 and bracket 8, constitute the frame of themachine. In the bearing 42 is journaled the shaft 5, upon which isrigidly mounted the worm-wheel 20 at one end and the revolving circularform 2- near the opposite end, the hub of each registering with therespective ends of the bearing in which the shaft is mounted. Thus, whenin motion, the worm-wheel, shaft, and form revolve together and are freefrom lateral play.

The form 2 is provided with the flange 3, extending around the form tothe opposite sides of the opening 52, the ends being thickened to givestrength to the lips or extending ledges 21 and 22. These ledges conformwith the circumference of a circle of less diameter than that of theflange and form seats for the ends of the curved plate 18, which, whenplaced in position, rests upon the outer faces of the ledges andconforms with the edgesand contour of the flange 3. The ledge 2 isprovided with a lateral slot 16, adapted to receive the shank of thebolt or stud 17, which is rigidly secured to the plate 18, and

is designed to hold the plate temporarily in position on the form.

In the bracket 8 is mounted the shaft 7, upon which is fulcrumed thelever 10 near its foward end. The plates 9 9, secured to either side ofthe lever, afford suitable bearings for the shaft 11. The lugs 32 32,integral with the plates, project above the upper face of the lever andform guides for the strips 31 31 and upset strap 30. On the shaft 11,and between the plates 9 9, are loosely mounted the friction-rollers 1313. The collar 33 is rotatably mounted on the eccentric 43 between therollers, and when the prominence of the eccentric is turned upward thecollar thereon registers with the upper faces of the rollers. Thus therollers and the collar act as one continuous roller when brought intoengagement with the upset strap 30, referred to hereinafter. This collarmay be disengaged by throwing the lever or handle 12 upward, which turnsthe shaft 11 one-half around. eccentric then extends downward and thecollar is thereby lowered, leaving the rollers to sustain the pressureon the upset strap,

and permitting'the insertion of the curved clamping-plate 46, referredto hereinafter.

By raising the rear end of the lever 10 the leg 27 hinged theretoassumes a vertical po sition and forms a rest for the lever when inproper position for inserting or removing the The prominence of theystrips. 28 is a bifurcated post secured to the floor, and is adapted toreceive the rear end of the lever 10 when at rest and to prevent it frombecoming laterally dislodged.

36 is a weight secured to the lever 10 at a sufficient distance toeffect proper pressure on the strips between the rollers and form 2.

To aid in resisting the strains brought upon the shafts 5 and 7, Iloosely mount the arm 6 on the outer end of the shaft 7, and provide ahook or claw at its other extremity for engaging the annular groove 4near the outer end of the shaft 5. It is adapted to be disengagedtherefrom and swung downward, so as not to interfere with the removal ofthe bent strips or rims 31 from the form 2.

The upset strap 30 is made from a thin sheet of non-corrosive,non-elastic, flexible metal, its length being greater than that of thestrips 31 31 to admit of the adjustment of the upset clamp 29. Thisstrap and also the plate 18 are preferably made from non corrosivematerial, or are galvanized to prevent the strips from becoming stainedby coming into contact with rust or other forms of corrosion.

In Fig. '7 is shown the temporary retainingclamp. It is used to securethe ends of the strips 31 31 to the removable plate 18 while being bent,and consists of a U-shaped iron 14, having slots or perforations 53 inits up turned ends, into which the wedge is i11- serted. The clamp 44 isthe same in construction as that just described, with the addition ofthe enlargements or lugs 47. This clamp is used to secure together theplate 18, the meeting ends of the strips, the overlapping ends of theupset strap, and the plate 46 after the strips have been bent and beforeremoving them from the form.

The upset clamp 29 (shown in Figs. 8 and 9) is preferably made frommetal, and consists of the plate 48, having upturned sides grooved theentire length of their inner faces, and leaving the inwardly-extendingledges 51,with which the projecting edges of the block 49 engage. Theupset strap 30 and the plate 26 are inserted between the block 49 andplate 48, and are securely held into place by means of the set-screw 34.The plate 26 has an upturned end, against which the strips 31 31 restwhile the latter are being bent.

Motion may be imparted to the shaft 5 by any suitable power-transmittinmechanism. In the drawings I have shown the wormwheel actuated by theworm 19, which is rigidly mounted on the rotatable drivingshaft 23. Thisshaft is mounted in the bearings 40, poised on the forward end of theframe 35, and 41 mounted on the side of the post 1. The shaft 23 may bedriven by a belt from any suitable source of power, to the tight andloose pulleys 24 and 25, respectively mounted thereon.

54 is a shifting-bar-loosely mounted in the frame 35, and is providedwith pins 37 37 for engaging the belt for the purpose of throwing itfrom one pulley to the other. The bar is shifted by the hand-lever 38,which is pivotally connected to the bar at their meeting ends, andfulcrumed on the bracket 39. (Shown in Fig. 4.)

In the operation the strips to be bent are preferably rounded on oneside, out to the proper length, and steamed in the usual manner. Theupset strap is placed lengthwise along the upper face of the lever 10,with its forward end extending over the rollers 13 13. Thefriction-rollers are lowered by raising the rear end of the lever 10,and the steamed strips are laid upon the upset strap with their roundedsides upward and their forward ends registering with the forward end ofthe upset strap. The curved plate 18 is placed in position with its endsresting against the ledges 21 and 22, and the shank of the stud 17inserted in the slot 16. The forward ends of the strips and upset strapare then clamped securely to the plate 18 at or near its middle by meansof the temporary retaining-clamp 14, as shown in Fig. 1. At the oppositeends of the strips the upset clamp 29 is secured to the upset strap 30,with the upturned portion of the plate 26 resting tightly against theends of the strips, thus preventing creeping or stretching tendencies ofthe strips while being bent. As the outside circumferences of the stripsare greater than that of the in side, the strips are longitudinallyconfined to the non elastic upset strap during the process of bending,and it necessarily follows that the fibers of the wood nearest the innercircumferences of the strips would be upset or crowded together tocompensate for this difference, in consequence of the con finement ofthe strips. The rollers are then brought into contact with the upsetstrap, the form started in motion in the direction indicated in thedrawings, and the strips are bent in conformity with the flange 3. Before the form makes a complete revolution the clamp 14 is secured ashort distance back of the clamp 14, after which the upset clamp andclamp 14 are removed, thus permitting the ends of the strips to extendforward over the rollers, and register with their opposite ends withoutbeing obstructed. At this juncture the movement of the form is stopped,and the collar is disengaged by means of the lever 12 and eccentric 43.The curved clamping-plate 46 is inserted between the rollers 13 13,covering the abutting ends of the strips, and is temporarily secured inplace at its outward end by another clamp. (Shown in dotted outline inFig. 10.) By revolving the form slightly forward the permanent clamp 44may be placed in position, thus securing the abutting ends of the stripsand upset strap between the plates 46 and 18. The other clamps may thenbe removed and the rollers lowered, the arm 6 disengaged, and the bentstrips, togetherwith the upset strap and plates 18 and 46, are slidlaterally from the form and placed in the drying-kiln.

The plates 18 and 4:6, upset strap 30, and clamp 44 are made inmultiplicate, so that the operation may be repeated as often as desired.

Having described my invention and the manner in which it is used, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. In a wood-rim-bending machine, the combination with a circularrevolving form having a removable rim-section, of an upset strap;friction-rollers and a collar rotatably mounted at the end of a weightedlever, and adapted to engage the said upset strap; means for disengagingthe said collar independent of the said rollers, for the purpose ofinserting the clamping-plate in position for securing the meeting orabutting ends of the bent strips; and suitable mechanism for driving thesaid form, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a wood-rim-bending machine,the combination with a revolving formhaving a removable rim-section, of a-rotatable shaft having an eccentricnear its middle, the said shaft being mounted at the end of a weightedlever; friction-rollers loosely mounted on the said shaft; and a collarloosely mounted on the said eccentric between the said rollers, the saidrollers and collar being adapted to engage the material being bent; thesaid collar being adapted to be disengaged independent of the saidrollers by means of the said eccentric substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. In a wood-rim-bending machine,the combination with a circularrevolving form having a removable rim-section; of a weighted leverhaving friction-rollers loosely mounted at its forward end upon arotatable shaft; an eccentric on the said shaft between the saidrollers; a collar loosely mounted on the said eccentric; the saidrollers and collar being adapted to engage the material being bentaround the said form; the said eccentric beving'adapted to disengage thesaid collar independent of the said rollers by means of the said shaft,for the purpose of inserting the clamping-plate; an upset strap andupset clamp for longitudinally confining the strips; and means forsecuring the meeting or abut.- ting ends of the bent strips to the saidremovable rim-section of the form, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a wood-rim-bending machine,the combination with a frame supportinga circular revolving form having a removable rim-section; of a weightedlever having friction-rollers and a collar loosely mounted at itsforward end, the said lever being adapted to bring the said rollers andcollar into engagement with the material being bent around the saidform; the guides 23 on the said lever; and the hinged leg for supportingthe said lever when the said rollers are disengaged, substantially asshown and described.

5. In a wood-rim-bending machine,tl1e combination of the frame, thecircular revolving form having the removable plate, the weighted leverfulcrumed near its forward end, the

upset strap and upset clamp, the friction-rollers and collar rotatablymounted at the end of the said lever and adapted to engage the upsetstrap, the eccentric for disengaging the said collar from the upsetstrap independent of the said rollers for the purpose of inserting theclamping-plate, the temporary and permanent retaining-clamps, andsuitable driving mechanism for revolving the said form, substantially asshown and described.

6. In a wood-rim-bending machine,the combination of a circularrevolving'form, an upset strap and upset clamp, friction-rollers, arotatable collar mounted on an eccentric between the said rollers, andadapted to operate and be disengaged independent of said rollers for thepurpose of facilitating the connection of the abutting ends of stripsafter being bent around the said form, substantially as shown anddescribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS RASTETTERQ \Vitnesses:

SAMUEL M. HENCH, HUGH D. STUDABAKER.

